Education - prof.dr. HJ (Harry) Wichers

The immune system plays a pivotal part in the maintenance of human and animal health and well-being. Disturbances may lead to over-activity against self-antigens (resulting in auto-immunity), over-activity against harmless environmental antigens (causing allergies), or immune suppression (with impaired resistance against infections and the development of tumors). 

Immunomodulation offers options to redirect and rebalance the perturbed immune system via food and feed and components that are derived thereof. The interactions between the immune system and food components, food-borne infections and gut microbiota are the central items of this course.

The course comprises an overview and underlying mechanisms  of immune-related disorders related to disturbed balances in (gut) microbiota and in interaction with selected food components in humans, companion and production animals.